How does a healthcare network connect data from more than 1,000 employed and private practice physicians, three community hospitals, a multi-disciplinary care management team and an IT team all while reporting required information as part of accountable care organizations? Click here to read more.

Rebecca Wilhelm, RIT student works as a health coach with GRIPA care managers and their patients.

GRIPA's CEO, CMO and care managers along with other Rochester Regional Health physicians and staff serve as educators for the Meds370 course that introduces students to the health care landscape and serves as prerequisite course to becoming a health coach. Click here to watch interview.

This award is given to a small percentage of students from each college within the University, and it is based on overall GPA, community involvement, extracurricular activities, and overall enthusiasm for academics.

January, 2015

Clinigence Adds Two New Accountable Care Organizations to Client Roster Clinigence, a next-generation clinical business intelligence technology provider, today announced that MD Value Care and Rochester General Health System Accountable Care Organization (ACO) have implemented the company’s technology to improve their quality data collection processes. Click here to read more.

GRIPA's Consulting Clinical Pharmacist, Tom Sorrento, RPh, CGP, to speak at the "Take the LEAP: Let Everyone Actively Participate in Fall Prevention and Injury Reduction" seminar on September 24th. The purpose of the seminar is to provide health care professionals with resources to develop and implement programs to prevent falls and reduce injuries.

August, 2014

Rochester General Health System ACO on the list of 100 Accountable Care Organizations to Know - 2014. Becker's Hospital Review is pleased to highlight a variety of Medicare and commercial ACOs, the majority of which are led by
hospitals or health systems. Click here to view the list.

August, 2014

GRIPA Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mark Belfer’s article, “Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Physicians and Their Practices” was recently published in Family Doctor by the New York State Academy of Family Physicians. Please click here to download it now.

Kate Dorward, PharmD taught the 2nd class in the semester long course at RIT called “Community Healthcare: From Theory to Practice” on Tuesday February 4, 2014.

The course offers students interested in a health care career, a unique opportunity for the study of key issues concerning community health care aimed at developing practical approaches to supporting patients. Students consider obstacles to effective health care as well as strategies for enabling at-risk patients to play more active roles in promoting their health and well-being. This seminar course provides students with the academic foundation for a subsequent Health Coach Internship with the Rochester General Health System (RGHS). Dr. Dorwards focus was on “The Role of the Health Coach in the Community: Becoming a Change Agent”.

January, 2014

Congratulations to Cori Wyman, Pharm.D., CDE on being the keynote speaker for the annual Wegmans School of Pharmacy White Coat Ceremony for the class of 2017.

The White Coat Ceremony is a wonderful and meaningful tradition in which the pharmacy school welcomes first year students as colleagues dedicated to patient care. During this event, pharmacy students are presented with a white coat, the symbol of clinical service and care. The students take, in unison, a pledge of professionalism.

Rochester General Health System is the first area health care organization to win the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ approval to field a Medicare approved Accountable Care Organization.

President and CEO, Joseph Vasile, MD, will be an expert panelist at Rochester Business Journal’s upcoming Power Breakfast Series “Understanding Health Care Reform” discussion on November 15, 2013. Learn from the distinguished panel of experts who will share their perspectives on the changing landscape, how it will impact your business and what you should be doing to prepare.

July, 2013

Obesity is a Disease

Dr. Mark Belfer, CMO/GRIPA was a recent guest on the Entercom Radio program, In the City, hosted by WBEE’s Terry Clifford. The topic: Obesity as a disease – a designation recently approved by the American Medical Association. In the City is broadcast on all 5 Entercom radio stations in Rochester.

July, 2013

Accountable care is the latest trend to sweep the healthcare industry

One company in Rochester is a perfect example of how successful this healthcare system is in improving employee productivity, but also how it can save lives. Read more or watch video.

June, 2013

RGHS, Excellus BCBS and GRIPA Reach Groundbreaking Payer Agreement.

RGHS, GRIPA and Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS) reached a ground-breaking partnership agreement that will serve as a regional and national model for how to move the traditional “fee for service” payment system from one that only compensates for quantity of care to one that truly rewards outstanding clinical performance, promotion of health and wellness, and greater efficiency − all with the central goal of improving the health of the population they serve.

Congratulations to Cori Wyman, Pharm.D., CDE on being named by St. John Fisher College, Wegmans School of Pharmacy as "Preceptor of the Year."

This award recognizes outstanding pharmacy educators that foster a positive learning environment for students. Awards are given in the areas of community/ambulatory care, hospital/health-systems, and clinical faculty.

The nominations come directly from the students and reflect a significant contribution to the overall educational and affirms the ability to be a role model for students.

Cori is a valued professional at the Greater Rochester Independent Practice Association (GRIPA) where she has worked since 2007. Cori directly supports the vision of the GRIPA Connect Clinical Integration program by interacting with GRIPA members as a Consulting Clinical Pharmacist as well as a Certified Diabetes Educator and by supporting the over 600 GRIPA Clinical Integration physicians. Cori was also nominated for this award back in April of 2011.

February, 2013

Exercise for Patients With COPD: An Integral Yet Underutilized Intervention

On October 30, 2012 GRIPA co-sponsored an event with the Rochester General Health System and the Monroe County Medical Society where Marc Bard, MD, Chief Innovation Officer of Navigant Health Care Practice lead a discussion healthcare reform and how it will impact our patients and our provider community.

The RGHS-affiliated physician organization, the Greater Rochester Independent Practice Association is part of the deal. Read more.

October, 2012

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle - Major shift on the way for Rochester's Health care providers.

Your doctor is about to have an even bigger stake in whether or not you stay well. Read the article.

June, 2012

Wellness is now - The Non Monroe County Municipal School District Program wellness magazine highlights the GRIPA pilot program.

Innovative Health Help - The goal of the GRIPA Connect Clinical Integration program is to improve the quality of care delivered to contracted members by focusing on gaps in their health care. Read article.

LiDestri has a wellness coordinator and
an active committee. They contract with
GRIPA Connect-Clinical Integration, which
has a network of physicians, hospitals, labs,
pharmacists, nurses and social workers
available by phone to answer employees’
health-related questions and coordinate
care. Read article.

March, 2012

Congratulations to Linda Peter, LMSW on being nominated for the Social Work Excellence in Practice Award- 2012.

"Linda has always been available and sincerely interested in helping people, not in just doing her job. She never complains about the people or her job, something that is so refreshing. This reflects well on the service she provides and the organization that she works for. It is a familiar cliche, but we need more people like her. She has made life better for so many people and providers."

As part of GRIPA's great work with Monroe County, GRIPA is featured in the S.O.A.R Newsletter. S.O.A.R. stands for Sheriff’s Office Association of Retirees in Monroe County and they have been consistent supporters of GRIPA.

Many retirees are already seeing the added value of GRIPA's coordinated care as they share their experience with the GRIPA program. Thank you for all that you do to support GRIPA and the Monroe County membership.

Clinical Depression affects nearly 12% of Americans - more than 20 million annually - and is estimated to contribute to half of all suicides. This serious mood disorder is non - discriminatory, affecting both genders, all races, incomes, ages, and ethnic and religius backgrounds. Twice as many women as men will experience at least one major depressive episode during their adult life. Dr. Joseph Vasile interviewed, Read the article.

November, 2011

We are pleased to announce two articles published in November’s edition of The Bulletin. The Bulletin is an editorial-based magazine published four times a year, and is the official publication of the Monroe County Medical Society.

One article titled “What pharmacy resources are particularly helpful when my patient is admitted or discharged from the hospital?” written by GRIPA’s Clinical Pharmacist, Michael Van Ornum, RPh, RN, BCPS. Read the article.

The other titled "The Case for Change" written by GRIPA's Chief Medical Officer, T. Jeffrey Dmochowski, MD. Read the article.

November, 2011

Jeanette Altavela, Pharm.D., BCPS from the Greater Rochester Independent Practice Association (GRIPA) is recognized by The Ambulatory Care and Research Network.

The American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) congratulates individuals for being nominated by their peers and thanks them for their significant contributions to the organization. Read more.

August, 2011

GRIPA Joins Rochester RHIO

GRIPA Connect is now receiving data from Rochester RHIO. The RHIO provides electronic results delivery to the GRIPA Connect Portal, as requested by GRIPA providers. With this new interface, the GRIPA Connect Portal will include a broader range of patient data, and more comprehensive clinical decision support. The RHIO is pleased to support GRIPA’s efforts to provide high quality, integrated care delivery.

Look for the patient-centered medical home practice model and other coordinated care initiatives to
continue as strong trends in the Rochester market. An active regional health information exchange allows
physicians to quickly access a wide range of patient care information and to use Web-based e-prescribing
software. Use of electronic medical record systems is high, contributing to efficiency of patient care. While
a decrease in the Medicaid reimbursement rate is a negative factor, physicians in the Rochester market pay
less for medical malpractice insurance than physicians in other areas of New York. Read the article.

July, 2011

County seeks to manage employee health care, Democrat and Chronicle.

In an effort to lower its health insurance costs, Monroe County has hired a for-profit company to better manage the health care of its employees.

The agreement allows the Greater Rochester Independent Practice Association access to health insurance billing data of the county's nearly 4,500 employees, pre-Medicare retirees and their dependents who use health insurance provided by the county.

We are pleased to announce GRIPA’s Clinical Pharmacist, Michael Van Ornum, RPh, RN, BCPS has been appointed to the Ambulatory Information Systems Committee.

The importance of ambulatory care in our healthcare delivery system and the need to accelerate the adoption of Information technology continues to be increasingly important for the healthcare industry and HIMSS. The community helps HIMSS establish its strategic direction and official positions on issues relating to ambulatory IS. HIMSS is dedicated to strengthening its Ambulatory Care Initiative by continuing to work with providers, clinicians, practice managers, Regional Extension Centers (RECs), communities and the military to identify and demonstrate how Information technology can improve patient outcomes in the ambulatory patient care setting.

The Ambulatory Care Information Systems Committee's initiatives are focused on leading change to remove barriers to IT adoption and increase the use of EMR/EHR to improve the quality of care and promote business systems integration in the ambulatory care setting.

May, 2011

Modern Physician.com, I'm Not a Doctor: A second opinion on the challenges and opportunies facing today's physicians.

Healthcare reform news often gets dominated by reports from Washington, so when significant events occur quietly in places like Rochester, N.Y., they can get overlooked. Read more.

Congratulations to Cori Wyman, Pharm.D., CDE on being nominated by the students of the St. John Fisher College, Wegmans School of Pharmacy as "Preceptor of the Year."

This award recognizes outstanding pharmacy educators that foster a positive learning environment for students. Awards are given in the areas of community/ambulatory care, hospital/health-systems, and clinical faculty.

The nominations come directly from the students and reflect a significant contribution to the overall educational process. The nomination also affirms the ability to be a role model for students.

April, 2011

GRIPA is excited to announce that the GRIPA 2010 Value Report is Finalized!

These programs align within GRIPA’s Accountable Care Medical Program (ACMP) – distinguishing the medical care that the GRIPA/RGHS network delivers using outcomes data and performance superior to the norm. Read the report.

March, 2011

GRIPA’s Accountable Care Medical Program (ACMP) is featured in this month’s Quality Matters newsletter published by the Monroe County Medical Society

ACMP has three components including; a Chronic Condition Management Program; a Cardiac Risk Management Program targeting hyperlipidemia and hypertension; and a Diabetes Prevention Program identifying patients at high risk of developing diabetes. Read more

February, 2011

Rochester Business Journal: Health care leaders face a dearth of info

A section of less than 10 pages in the 2,000-page Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has gotten scant attention from the general public, but the health reform law's Accountable Care Organization provision has generated outsized attention and some consternation in the medical community. Read the article.

February, 2011

Rochester Business Journal: Managing at the forefront of health reform.

Jeanette Altavela, Pharm.D., BCPS from the Greater Rochester Independent Practice Association (GRIPA) is new President Elect of NYS ACCP for 2011.

The New York State Chapter of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (NYS ACCP) elected Jeanette Altavela, Pharm.D., BCPS as the new president elect for 2011. The president elect will become familiar with chapter operations and prepare for the future presidential term in 2012 by serving as chair of the planning committee responsible for organizing the fall clinical meeting and other organizational committees, and then will havevarious roles as past president in 2013.

The New York State Chapter of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (NYS ACCP) awarded Cori Wyman, Pharm.D., CDE its Clinical Practitioner of the Year Award for 2010. This award honors a clinical practitioner who promotes optimal pharmaceutical care to patients and/or health care systems; fosters development of innovative clinical pharmacy services; promotes, supports and evaluates research relevant to clinical pharmacy practice; and promotes advanced clinical pharmacy training to other practitioners.

GRIPA is honored to have two additional staff members who have received this same award in previous years. Jeanette Altavela, Pharm.D., BCPS received the award in 1999, and Michael VanOrnum, RPh, RN, BCPS received the award in 2006.

July, 2010

GRIPA selected as partner in Federal Program for Physician Technology Services.

The Greater Rochester Independent Practice Association (GRIPA) is pleased to announce that it has been approved as an Outreach and Implementation Agent by the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) to provide outreach, education, and technical assistance to area health care providers as they endeavor to implement health information technology in their practices. GRIPA is collaborating with the Monroe County Medical Society (MCMS) to extend these resources to health care providers in Monroe and Wayne Counties. This grant is targeted toward primary care physicians in practices with 10 providers or less. Read more.

May, 2010

GRIPA receives quality Honor and awarded contract form IPRO.

The Greater
Rochester
Independent
Practice
Association
(GRIPA) is pleased to
announce it received
a quality award
for its outstanding
commitment to
patient safety and
quality improvement
as demonstrated by
the development and
implementation of a
variety of innovative
intervention
strategies. Read more.

The Greater Rochester Independent Practice Association
(GRIPA) in conjunction with the Rochester General Health
System (RGHS), was recognized by the Health Information
and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and the American
Society of Quality (ASQ) for the deployment and implementation
of an electronic prescribing system. Read more.

October 13, 2009

GRIPA inks deal with LiDestri Foods, Rochester Business Journal.

The Greater Rochester Independent Practice Association Inc. has signed a
contract to provide health care to LiDestri Foods Inc. workers. The agreement
is GRIPA’s first agreement with an outside employer .Read the article.

October, 2007

GRIPA finding Rx for success, Democrat and Chronicle.

GRIPA was named to the Democrat and Chronicle’s Top 100 list for three years. We were profiled in this article. Read the article.

September, 2007

FTC Staff Advises Rochester Physician Organization That It Will Not Recommend Antitrust Challenge to Proposal to Provide Member Physicians' Services Through "Clinical Integration" Program, FTC News.

The award is given in honor of Max Farash whose support of Lifespan in the early 1990s (then the Regional Council on Aging) was unwavering.

2006

Michael VanOrnum, RPh, RN, received this Clinical Practitioner of the Year (New York State Chapter of ACCP)

The recognition is for a practitioner who promotes optimal pharmaceutical care to patients and/or health care systems; fosters development of innovative clinical pharmacy services; promotes, supports and evaluates research relevant to clinical pharmacy practice; and promotes advanced clinical pharmacy.

2005

GRIPA ranked as the third fastest growing privately held company in the Rochester Top 100 again.

This award is presented to a company that has at least $1 million in revenue for three consecutive years. Ranings take into account both dollar and percentage growth.

2005

Jeanette Altavela, Pharm.D., BCPS is the recipient of the Orville C. Baxter Professional Practice Alumni Award – University of Buffalo

This award, bearing the name of a long standing faculty member extraordinarily dedicated to the professional practice of pharmacy, recognizes an outstanding practicing pharmacist who demonstrates high ideals of professionalism and whose practice of pharmacy demonstrates genuine concern for patients.